Friday, 27 December 2013

Okay so a bit of a different review today. I know the whole beauty blogging world is always on about beauty boxes, which are boxes where you get deluxe samples of five products a month, however I recently stumbled upon a version of this related to healthy eating. Graze is a company which creates boxes made with four snack-sized compartments each containing healthy food. You can have them delivered twice a week, once a week or every other week. I wasn't sure whether or not to post this, but figured quite a few people might be interested in diet and nutrition.

I'm always trying to eat more healthy as I often slip back eating junk food (particularly when I'm at uni - late night takeaways are the worst). However my main problem is that I like to snack a lot, and often do so on food that is unhealthy. Graze's food however combines your favourite food with healthier options in order to make it less calorific. It is also really helpful as they include all the nutritional information and all the calorie contents on a little leaflet with the box. This is particularly great if you are on a diet and calorie counting as it allows you to easily keep track of what you've eaten, which can be hard when it comes to snacks.

I've photographed all of the food I received in my box. The graze website allows you to select products you want to try, products you want sending soon and products you won't try. This is a great system and really works, all 4 of the things I recieved were items on my 'send soon' list. Graze can't guarantee you'll get sent them in your next box but they really do take a good note of what you'd like and what you wouldn't.

The food was also delicious, in particular the Bonnie Wee Oatcakes and the Honeycomb flapjacks were delicious, they come in at 200-300 calories each. This is still a lot for a snack but they are high in fiber and vitamins so much healthy than picking up a chocolate bar.

The boxes are £3.89 each including postage and can be ordered from the Graze website. I think these boxes are great for anyone that wants slightly healthier snacks or wants to track the nutritional content of what they are eating. It's also a great way to try new foods.

Saturday, 21 December 2013

Is it just me or does the name of this product make anyone else think of the game Candy Crush? Anyway, I've had this scrub for a while now and thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on it. I've already tried Soap and Glory's The Breakfast Scrub and Flake Away but this is my favourite of them all. It's now my go-to body scrub.

Packaging -
As always, the packaging of this product features the typical light pink of Soap and Glory products. The lid fits onto the products securely so it is fine to travel with. The tub is also plastic so it's not going disintegrate in the bath or shower.

You also get quite a lot of product. You get 300ml and this will last you for ages. I use this quite a lot and you can see I've still got loads left. So you get your money's worth with this scrub.

Smell -
This does have a very strong scent, so if
you're not keen on scented products this may not be for you. However, I
really love this scent and it is one of my favourite things about the
product. It's a very sweet, sugary scent with a tiny hint of citrus (from
the lime).

Application -
I love the way that this applies to the skin. It's a bit thinner than some body scrubs with smaller grains which I like as I find it easier to work into smaller areas. This exfoliates my skin really well and leaves me with a very smooth finish. The scrub is great for tackling really dry skin but this does mean that it can be a little too harsh on the skin if you are too rough. I also love that because the product has a thinner texture it doesn't feel so rich on my skin. Once you wash away any excess you may have the product feels like it has sunk into the skin, which is something I personally like. I don't like it when you apply a product and it takes ages to sink into the skin.

Also, make sure not to get water inside the product. I've done this with another one of their scrubs and it makes the product become really thick and less pleasant to use.

Too Faced isn't a brand I have much from but I love their packaging and their products. The things I have tried from them are great quality and I always find myself swatching their products when I go into Boots. I thought I'd show you what I'm currently wishing for from the brand, and hopefully you find things that you also want!

Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette - £24
Too Faced does loads of these eyeshadow kits, there's smokey eye kits, natural eye kits, matte eye kit and more. I really love the look of all of the kits and wish I could get my hands on every single one of them, they all have great reviews and beautiful packaging. I really like the look of the Romantic palette as it contains really wearable colours but is a bit different to your normal nude palette.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - Glitter Glue -£17
Too Faced Shadow Insurance is a best-selling eye primer from Too Faced often hailed as a HG along with Urban Decay Primer Potion. When I came across this version I was really intriguied. It's supposed to 'lock down' glitter and enhance it's colours. I really liked the sound of this has haven't heard of anything similar.

Too Faced Sweetheart Beads - Radiant Glow Face Powder - £26
Ok I'm not going to deny that the packaging of this is what caught my attention. It's supposed to illuminate the skin and can layered for intensity. I love the look of this and don't own anything like it in my collection. I have highlighters but I've never tried loose pearls or anything like it.

Too Faced Glamour To Go - £19
I have a previous version of this kit and I loved it. It's really tiny so really easy to carry around with you. It contains 8 x Eyeshadows, 1 x Bronzer, 1 x Blusher and 1 x Lipgloss. This is a great little face kit which is ideal if you are going somewhere and need to travel really lightly. The products are all great quality too. I particularly loved the blush in the last kit and completely finished it. If you are new to Too Faced it's also a great chance to try out a few of their products too.

Too Faced Brow Envy Kit - £28
I currently only use a £1 eyebrow pencil to do my brows and although it does the trick I've always wanted to do more with my brows. I really love this kit because it comes with everything you need. I've also read quite a few reviews which have said that the stencils in this kit are superb for creating different brow looks.

Too Faced Brightening Blush - La Vie En Rose - £16.50
The blush I completely used up in my Glamour to Go kit was La Vie En Rose and I really want to purchase it in it's full size. I love this blush, it's a gorgeous rose colour that just looks really flattering on the cheeks. It is also really good quality and so easy to work with.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless - Bronze Tint - £24 I've never tried Too Faced Primers but I've heard that Primed and Poreless is one of their best selling products. Having read reviews and the description it sounds really similar to the bronzing primer that Bourjois bought out in the summer. I think this would be a great product for next summer.

Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool - £18A couple of brands have been bringing out these 3 way liners and I'm really interested in them. Instead of one brush they are 3 very thin and small tips. The idea is that you can use these to dot inbetween lashes to make your eyelashes look naturally thicker. They are also supposed to make doing liquid liner ultra easy as you can simply dot along the lash line. I really want to try this out.

Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer - £14.50I've never used a lip primer before but I'm really interested to see if they can actually make a difference to how long your lipstick stays on. I really want to try Too Faced's edition as it's one of the best known lip primers, and all of Too Faced's primers have great reviews.So that's it! Since doing this list I've actually found more products that I'm lusting after, including the gorgeous Sweetheart blush (here) and the Natural Kiss Palette (here). I love making these types of posts, and although chances are I might not end up getting any of these, it's nice to discover new products. Let me know what products from Too Faced you currently want, or one's you currently have that you recommend.

Sunday, 15 December 2013

MAC's paintpots are a holy grail in the beauty community, they prime your eyelids while adding colour to shimmer, intensifying your eyeshadows. They come in a variety of shades but Let's Skate! is by far my favourite. I originally got this paintpot as part of a limited edition holiday collection (which is why the packaging is white and not black), and I limited myself to using it as I didn't want to run out of it, thankfully though, MAC has added this shade to its permanent line.

Pigmentation:
The pigmentation on this is good. It is a very pale pink, it is hard to get it to show up on my skin because I am so pale, but for those of you with a darker complexion, the pink will be easier to see. Because of my pale skin, I love how this can give me a quite natural, but shimmer eye. This is a very shimmery paintpot, the shimmer does come out on your lids. There is no fall out, but people will be able to notice the shimmer. If you want to wear it on it's own, the shimmer won't be a subtle sheen. I like to wear this under cool-tonned shimmery eyeshadows. My favourite eyeshadow to wear over this is Urban Decay's Sin. The two go really well together, and the paintpot intensifies the shimmer in Sin.

Lasting Power:
Like all MAC paintpots, this lasts all day on me. I've even worn this on it's own before because I love the colour, and although on its own it won't last all day (around 6-8 hours of wear), with primer underneath it, it will last all day. Without a primer, the shimmer will last but the pale pink shade will fade a bit. I don't have oily eyelids, so that is something to keep in mind.

Application:
This is really easy to apply. I use my fingers to apply it as I find it easier to apply and quicker. However, you can also use a synthetic brush to apply it. The product is creamy and so easy to apply to the lid, if you have very dry lids I would moisturise them a bit first, as application can be hindered if your lids are dry. On the majority of eyelids though, this product applies well and has a very creamy texture.

Availability and Pricing:
MAC Let's Skate! and the rest of the range of their paintpots are available for £15.00 at MAC Cosmetics.

Thursday, 12 December 2013

The Body Shop has always been known for their bodycare products, with their body butters constantly topping my Christmas wishlist year after year. They have a huge variety of products to choose from, all with incredible scents. They have recently expanded their makeup collection to include a new 'All in One BB Cream', new eyeshadows, lipsticks and brushes. I was offered the chance to try out some of these products for review and I thought I'd give you my opinion on them.

Colour Crush Eyeshadows*

The Claim:

'An intensely pigmented, pearlescent or matt eyeshadow (dependant on
colour) with a silky-soft texture . It’s easy to blend and great for
building layers of colour.'

My Thoughts:
I was incredibly impressed with The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadows. I'm a bit of an eyeshadow lover, I've tried eyeshadows from the highstreet but always go back to the higher-end products from Urban Decay and MAC. I find that highstreet eyeshadows usually offer poor pigmentation and have a very chalky formulation. However, I was really surprised with both the pigmentation and the texture of the eyeshadows. The eyeshadows have a very smooth texture and are easy to apply and blend on the eyelid. They are not chalky and I didn't experience any fall out. Wear time was also impressive, over primer these lasted all day on me (although I don't suffer from oily eyelids). Pigmentation was really good, the swatches you can see in the photos are only 2 layers. I could have gotten away with one but wanted to show how intense the colour is. The lighter eyeshadow is slightly hard to see on my arm, but that's because I have very light skin.

The two colours I have are 'Golden Girl' and 'Sweet Pea'. The light vanilla eyeshadow is perfect for highlighting your brow bone and the inner colour, while the light green is great way to add a subtle, yet different twist to your everyday makeup.

The Colour Crush Eyeshadows cost £7 and are available from The Body Shop.

My Thoughts:
I've heard a lot of hype over The Body Shop's new Colour Crush lipsticks and was excited to see whether or not the hype was worth it. The shade I have is called 'Darling Blush'. It's a very 'my lips but better' shade. When I wear it on my lips it adds a it of colour to them and gives them a nice sheen. It's a great colour if you want something that's subtle for work or if you just want to wear a more understated look. I really like it if I'm wearing heavier eye makeup as it compliments it without clashing with it.

The formula of these lipsticks is really nice. They're really creamy to apply and don't cling to any dry bits on your lips. They moisturise your lips and have a pretty good wear time of around 4 hours. I really like this lipstick, the formula is good and they rival the lipsticks from the other highstreet brands.

The Colour Crush Lipsticks are £10 each and available from The Body Shop.

My Thoughts:
I haven't used foam-tip applicators with my eyeshadow since I used to buy those huge sets of makeup for under £5 which came with those really cheap applicators that you were supposed to use for your eyeshadow that inevitably broke after two uses. I was a bit skeptical when going to use this for the first time as I'm used to using synthetic brushes to do my eye makeup. However, I found that it did do a good job of smudging my out my eyeshadow to create a smokey look. It also did a good job of smudging out pencil eyeliner. The brush feels firmer than those you usually find in palettes, but it still doesn't feel as firm as a traditional brush would.

'Our new All-In-One BB cream transforms from a white cream to suit your
skin tone. Pigment-filled capsules burst when applied to the skin,
releasing the colour inside. Just blend for a perfect match and an even,
undetectable finish. It’s make-up and skincare in one.'

My Thoughts:
First off, it has to be noted that the colour I have (03) is actually too dark for my skintone, which explains why it doesn't appear to blend into my skin in the photos. However, I think if you compare the photos from when I first put the product on, you can see that it does become a lot lighter on my skin, so I think with the correct match it would blend well into the skin.

The way the product works is that it comes out in a white cream, you then rub this and the pigment capsules burst and the colour begins to appear in your skin. If you continue rubbing you will achieve an even finish. The colour can look very scary at first, but once you spread it out it becomes much more wearable. I was impressed with how little product was needed to cover your entire face. As you can see in the first photo I didn't use that much product, but it was enough to cover a good portion of my arm (and I could have tried to cover even more if I had wanted). This means this tube would last you a good while as you only need the tiniest bit in order to cover your whole face.

Coverage-wise, this offers some coverage if you have slight redness or discoloration but it's not going to cover serious skin problems and nor is it designed to. If you have pretty good skin with the odd bit of redness I'd recommend this as a lighter alternative to a full coverage foundation.

The Cream claims to offer 24 hour hydration, I never wear makeup for this long but I can say that it didn't cling to any dry patches which is good for a face product as I have incredibly dry skin on my cheeks and nose.

I think the product is innovative and would be good if you have good skin and just want a bit of extra coverage. it blends well and has a nice finish. I've also found that the BB Cream can be used underneath foundation to give it a bit more colour and make you look more bronzed, so that is also an option.

All of the products in this post are part of a 'Get the Look' campaign, in which the Body Shop shows how to get certain looks such as 'Pastel Purple' using the 'All-in-One BB Cream' and the Colour Crush Range. If you are interested in finding out more, click here.

Saturday, 7 December 2013

Blogging Wishlist? What's that? Is this a list of all the blog you wish you owned? Nope, my blogging wishlist is a list of things that I am currently wanting which I think would help me to improve my blog. I try my hardest to make sure my blog is as good as it can be, and also welcome constructive criticism (if you have any feel free to email me at beautybucketlist@gmail.com). However, while I am proud of my content and am amazed at the number of followers that follow this little blog I know that there are certain things I could do to try and make this blog better for both my own satisfaction and for yours.

Velbon Summit VTP-787 Travel Tripod, Black -£24.95
The first thing on my wishlist is a tripod. I'm not sure of the exact brand or the differences between them, I simply would like something to stand my camera up. I want to start taking more outfit photographs for my blog however it's incredibly hard to do when I don't have people to take photographs for me. I don't tell people about my blog so there is no way I could ask the people I live with to help me.

Canon Powershot Sx260 Hs Compact Digital Camera - £149.99
Secondly I really want a new camera. My current camera is pretty cheap (£60 I believe) and I also managed to break the catch on it, so it has to be sellotaped up to ensure the batteries don't fall out. This makes it really difficult to take photos of arm swatches or nail polish. Secondly, I don't think the quality of my pictures is that good, I wish it were but compared to other blogs I know it isn't. I'm not a photographer so I don't want or need a DSLR and think I can't justify spending money on one, plus I wouldn't have a clue how to use it either. However, upon reading reviews this camera seems like a good quality and is quite affordable too.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 - £629.99
This one is pretty pricey, and I don't think I'll ever actually own it. However, I think photoshop would be great for both editing photos and helping to update my blog design. I'm always trying to change my blog design and am never happy with it, and think that Photoshop would help me improve it.

So that's it. Let me know what's on your blogging wishlist if you have a blog in the comments. If you have any feedback for me I'd love to hear some, I'm always trying to improve.

Thursday, 5 December 2013

'Made to be played with. A metallic, high-shine, pure-colour powder that
highlights eyes, cheeks and brows. Mix with eye shadow, blusher or use
it on its own to intense effect. Bring out your bold side'

Colour
Android is described as a 'shimmery charcoal black'. I wouldn't quite say it's a true black as in a lot of the swatches it appears more grey, however the colour can be built up. What really love about this product is te clear blue undertones that can be seen, particularly in the sun.

The shimmer in this is beautiful, it's not too overly shimmery that it will fall down on your face and make you look like a one-man disco, but it isn't so subtle that you can barely see it.

Hopefully you can see in the last picture it can be applied differently. You can sheer it out (as on the left) to get a much more subtle look that would be great as an eyeshadow base or to have a very smokey eye. You can also build up this intensity to a much more pigmented, intense look (as you can see on the right). The more you apply the more the bluetones in the product come out, which I personally love. I really like the fact that you can create different looks with this product by how you apply it, making it a better value for money.

Application
These are very easy to apply, the texture is soft and the shimmer is densely packed so it's not going to fall down onto your cheeks while you are wearing it . The only thing I'd be careful of is fallout while applying, if you choose to layer it up a lot be careful that there can be a little bit of fall out, but this is easy solved by doing your eye makeup first. I'd advise doing eye makeup first anyway as this is a darker product, so any mistakes would be more obvious.

Packaging:
The pigment is in Illamasqua's typical sleek black packaging, with a clear underside. I love this as sometimes it can be hard to find certain products if you have to open them up to see the colours. The packaging is secure and the lid doesn't come off which is important as the product is loose - so would spill everywhere. The small opening also allows for only a small amount of product to reach the lid, which is great in case you accidentally knock it over, and makes sure you don't get too much on your brush.

Availability and Pricing:
The full range of Illamasqua's pure pigments are available from the Illamasqua website for £16.50. Illamasqua often do sales on their makeup products, including their pigments, so watch out for them.

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

This is the only Butter London nail polish I've ever tried, but I love it. I spotted this while I was in T K Maxx and instantly loved it. I love glittery nail polishes (even though they are a huge pain to remove) and don't really have many plain gold nail polishes, most of the ones I own have multicolored bits of glitter in them, so I picked this up.

Colour
West End Wonderland is a gorgeous gold colour, as you may be able to see in the pictures, it has slight bronze in the glitter too although this isn't articularly visible. The swatches on my nails are three coats, you could probably get away with two but I prefer the look of three as the glitter looks more compact. The first layer is pretty sheer but means it would be good for layering over other polishes.

Application
Application of this is lovely, it goes on well and is easily layered. It also has really good drying time and I found it began to dry within 20 seconds, which is pretty good for a nail polish. The brush allows for easily controlled application. It's a smaller, thinner brush than other nail polishes but I find this makes it easier to control as I have pretty small nails.

Wear Time
I find wear time to be good on this. I've worn this without a topcoat before while doing washing up and washing my hair (which always seems to mess up my nails) and this stayed on for a good two days before there were any chips. With a top coat I've gotten 5+ days out of this before there is any noticeable chipping. In my experience glitter nail polishes do not last long at all on my nails (Some of them chip badly within hours) but this is one of the better ones.

Availability & Pricing:
Butter London West End Wonderland is available for £12 from Harvey Nichols.

I really like this nail polish and it is a great addition to my collection, I really want to check out the rest of the Butter London range, particularly the non-glitter formulas. They are on the pricier side at £12 but they are great quality.